A power converter is a power processing circuit that converts an input voltage or current waveform into a specified output voltage or current waveform. A switched-mode power converter is a frequently employed power converter that converts an input voltage waveform into a specified output voltage waveform. A buck converter is one example of a switched-mode power converter that is typically employed in applications wherein a stable, regulated voltage is desired at the output of the power converter.
A non-isolated buck converter generally includes a power switch couplable to a source of input voltage. The power switch intermittently switches to provide an output voltage to a load couplable to an output of the buck converter. A controller regulates the output voltage by varying a duty cycle of the power switch. Depending on the duty cycle of the power switch, the output voltage may be regulated to any desired voltage between zero and the input voltage.
The controller typically switches the power switch at a high switching frequency, such as one beyond the audible range, to reduce the size and weight of inductive components employed and, therefore, to reduce the cost, as well as the size and weight, of the buck converter. Conventional buck converters, therefore, typically include a low pass output filter having a filter inductor and a filter capacitor. The comer frequency of the output filter may be set sufficiently lower than the switching frequency of the power switch to minimize the output ripple.
Since the power switch is coupled in series with the filter inductor, turning off the power switch may result in a high voltage thereacross unless an alternative path is provided for the inductor current. A freewheeling diode may, therefore, be coupled between common and a node between the power switch and the filter inductor to provide a path for the inductor current while the power switch is off. During a conduction interval of the power switch, the freewheeling diode is reversed biased. Then, during a non-conduction interval of the power switch, the inductor current flows through the freewheeling diode, transferring some of its stored energy to the load. The buck converter, like other switched-mode power converters, preferably includes at least two semiconductor switches, the power switch and the freewheeling diode.
Analogous to other types of power converters (e.g., a boost converter), the buck converter is subject to inefficiencies that impair its overall performance. More specifically, the power switch and freewheeling diode may be subject to conduction losses that reduce the efficiency of the converter. Additionally, the power switch [e.g., a metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET)] is subject to switching losses that occur, in part, when a charge built-up in a parasitic capacitance of the power switch is dissipated during turn-on. Furthermore, the freewheeling diode may also be subject to a reverse recovery condition (when the power switch is turned on) that induces a substantial current spike through both the power switch and the freewheeling diode. The losses associated with the power switch and the freewheeling diode increase linearly as the switching frequency of the converter is increased. Therefore, minimizing the reverse recovery and switching losses associated with the freewheeling diode and power switch will improve the overall efficiency of the converter.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is an active clamp, employable with a variety of power converter topologies, that reduces the losses associated with the reverse recovery condition and further reduces the switching losses associated with the power switch of a power converter.